Iran : virus kills 63 more, death toll climbs to 354

Tehran (HRNW) Iran’s death toll reached 354, a rise of 63 in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman said.

Around 9,000 people were infected, Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, calling on people to avoid unnecessary trips and stay at home.

Across the Mideast, more than 9,000 people have contracted the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes. The majority come from hard-hit Iran, which has one of the world’s worst death tolls outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak.

In the Gulf Arab island nation of Bahrain, authorities say their number of confirmed cases on Wednesday spiked by nearly 70% to 189 confirmed cases. The new cases were all on a returning flight of Bahraini evacuees from Iran.

Officials found 77 on board tested positive for the new coronavirus, compared to the 112 already reported in the country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It pushed Bahrain’s overall total to 189 confirmed cases.